Eye of the Storm
by RoamingFox
Summary: Loneliness and depression finally drive Naruto to do the unthinkable. No longer a ninja of Konoha, Naruto must forge his own path in life, but this time he's no longer alone. Watch as a boy becomes a legend, and finds true happiness in the darkness.
1. A Series of Unfortunate Events

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.**

**Warning:** I don't usually throw notes at the top of my chapters, but I'm making an exception here. This chapter contains a single scene of extreme violence. If this is going to upset you, please feel free to skip the scene and continue with the rest of the story. There is an alternate version of the scene in my author's note at the bottom that is much less graphic. Thanks.

**Chapter 1 – A Series of Unfortunate Events**

"Aww! Come on, Sakura-chan! Just once? I promise I'll pay and everything! Please?" Naruto's desperate voice drifted over the late afternoon market district as he attempted to beg, bargain, and plead his way into a date with the pink-haired girl in front of him. For the seventh time this week.

"For the millionth time Naruto... **NO!**" Sakura screamed as her fist hurtled into the side of the blond boy's head. If he hadn't already been on his knees begging he surely would have been after such a vicious strike. As it was, he already was on his knees, so he ended up slamming face first into the ground instead.

"Ita... Sakura-chan, that hurt!" Naruto whined as he pulled himself out of the dirt, something he was intimately familiar with doing on a regular basis.

"Ya, well... Maybe the pain will teach you a lesson for once!" Sakura shouted before stalking off towards her home. _'Kami! How many times do I need to tell that idiot that no means no! The only person I want to date is Sasuke-kun! __**Shannaro!**__'_

"Oh well... There's always tomorrow!" No sooner had the mumbled words left his lips, a rock the size of a small lemon slammed into the side of his head and sent him crashing back to the ground in a cloud of dust.

"I heard that, idiot! No means NO!" Sakura's scream echoed from down the street as, once again, Naruto was forced to pick himself up from the ground. He gingerly felt his head where the rock had struck him, and his fingers came back red and sticky with blood.

_'Great... Now I need to shower before this sets up in my hair.'_ Naruto sighed as he made his way back to his apartment to take a freezing cold shower. It wasn't that he enjoyed the ice cold water, but rather that he was unable to get any hot water at all unless he boiled it himself, and _that_ prospect was dangerous in and of itself given the age and condition of the old gas stove in his kitchen.

* * *

A few hours later found Naruto sitting on the edge of his bed, staring forlornly out of one of the only two windows in his apartment. The stars twinkled dimly in the sky as he let his eyes just drift among the tiny pinpricks of light. Naruto's gaze eventually wandered to the only picture frame in his room; it was empty. It had always been empty, in fact. Sighing heavily, Naruto reached over and gently plucked the object off of his dresser before gazing at it sadly.

"I really wish you were here..." Naruto had to choke back a sob as the first few tears dropped onto the empty glass of the frame. He honestly didn't know why he got so emotional over the stupid frame anymore; it wasn't like it had any real value. It was just something stupid he bought years ago thinking that he could ask the Hokage for a picture of his parents.

"I should have known that he wouldn't have a picture... Hell, he wouldn't even tell me their names. After everything else, why did I even expect anything different? Maybe I really am an idiot like everyone says..." Yet, nonetheless, Naruto had kept the frame. To him it was like some sort of twisted promise; a demented hope that his parents would suddenly appear out of nowhere and rescue him from his private hell. It was that fragile hope that had kept him going up until now, but looking out into the vast expanse of starlit sky just outside his window, he couldn't help but wonder if his parents were staring at the same sky as him. That they might be on their way to whisk him away from the miserable existence he called a life at this very moment.

"Hah! Like that would happen... Knowing my luck, they probably abandoned me on purpose." Naruto clenched his hands, oblivious to the soft popping sounds the fragile glass was making inside of the simple wooden frame in his hands.

"They probably just thought I was a monster like everyone else. What am I saying?! Of course they did! What kind of person would want a son like me?" His fists clenched harder, causing the glass inside of the frame to snap with a loud crack.

Naruto looked down at the glittering shards that were once a single piece of perfectly clear and unblemished glass. "Just great..." Naruto sighed and hurled the frame out of his window. Only taking a small amount of solace in the faint tinkling sound as the razor sharp fragments of glass struck the pavement of the alley below.

* * *

"Naruto. Naruto? **Naruto!**" Umino Iruka was forced to yell the blond's name a third time and throw a nearby blackboard eraser at him before he finally raised his head off his arms to look at his teacher.

"Wha?" Naruto responded groggily as he looked around. _'Oh, right. Class...'_

"Well, if you're quite finished with your little mid-day nap, could you kindly recite the hand seals required to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu?"

"Umm... Heheheh... I kind of forgot." Naruto smiled stupidly as he scratched the back of his head. _'Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog.'_

"Sasuke, mind filling Naruto in please?" Iruka sighed. The boy just simply would not learn. Everything he had tried just seemed to backfire on him, and Iruka was very quickly running out of both ideas and patience.

"Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog." Sasuke's bored drawl echoed around the classroom, captivating the majority of the female population of the class while simultaneously irritating the male portion.

"Correct. Care to demonstrate for us?" Iruka smiled as he watched the raven-haired boy flawlessly execute the technique. _'At least someone pays attention.'_

Naruto eyed the broody Uchiha furiously from across the room. _'Of course Sasuke can do it. Sasuke can do god damn everything! If only Iruka-sensei didn't always ask for a demonstration, then I'd show that bastard who's dead last!'_ Naruto growled slightly, causing the sleeping form of Shikamaru next to him to grunt and turn his head away from him.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he watched Sakura skip happily through the academy gates and off towards the commercial district of Konoha, and for a second he considered whether or not to follow her. On one hand, he knew he would get punched again if she found out, but on the other hand it was a chance to be closer to the only person who ever even acknowledged that he existed. It wasn't a very hard choice.

Naruto picked up his pace as he followed the pink haired girl out of the academy and through the tree lined streets of the major commercial sector. It was several minutes of walking before the girl stepped inside of a flower shop that Naruto was _very_ familiar with.

_'Of course. If Sakura wanted flowers, where else would she go?'_ Naruto sighed as he stared at the sign above the door that read 'Yamanaka Flowers' and took up a position on the park bench underneath the window outside of the store. He may have wanted to spend time with Sakura, even if she didn't know it, but he wasn't suicidal enough to enter _that_ flower shop when he knew that both Sakura and Ino would be present. One of them he could handle, but the two of them double teaming him would likely result in much more than a few bruises.

A few moments passed, and Naruto had considered leaving before either of the two girls spotted him, but the sound of voices filtering through the open window behind him kept him in his seat.

"Forehead, what are you doing here? I thought I told you we weren't talking until you realized that Sasuke-kun was mine!"

"Shut up, Ino-pig. You know I'm here every Monday to get my mother's order, and besides Sasuke is mine damn it!"

"Hah! Like you could ever impress him! Especially with that wind sail you call a forehead."

"Just hurry the hell up Ino, and besides, I'm going to ask Sasuke-kun to dinner tomorrow!" Sakrua's shout drifted through the window as Naruto felt a knot start to form in his stomach.

"And just what makes you think he'd want to have dinner with someone like you?" Ino drawled over the sound of shifting pottery.

"Why not? Someone like him, no family, all alone in that big house of his... If I were him, I'd be dieing for a nice home cooked meal by now..."

The knot in Naruto's stomach tightened at the mention of family. _'Sasuke... Why do you get to have everything when you don't want it, but the only thing I've ever wanted I can't have?'_ Naruto choked back a sniffle as his thoughts shifted to his parents.

"A man's heart is through his stomach... I never figured you'd be that sneaky, Sakura, but don't think this means I'll let you take him from me just like that!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try!" Sakura shouted as her footsteps echoed across the polished wood floor of the shop before opening the door and snapping Naruto out of his daze long enough for him to dive into a nearby alley.

"Oh! Ino?" Sakura paused, the door halfway open as she turned to face the blond girl behind the counter.

"What is it?"

"Oink! Oink! Oink!" Sakura smirked and walked out of the shop to the sound of the other girl's angry ranting. _'Get last laugh. Check. __**Shannaro!**__'_

It took several minutes of staring off in the direction Sakura had left in before Naruto returned to his senses and he began to walk off in the direction of his apartment, but something stopped him in the middle of the street. Looking back over his shoulder, Naruto turned around and headed back towards the flower shop.

* * *

The jingling sound of bells alerted Yamanaka Ino that someone had just entered through the front door of her family's shop.

"Hi! How can I..." Ino greeted her unknown customer cheerfully from under the counter as she got out another roll of paper for the register. "... help you... Naruto?! What the hell are you doing here? Get out!" Ino's pleasant greeting turned into a shrill yell as her eyes narrowed when she realized just who had walked into the shop; her hand slowly inching its way towards the nearest object to throw at the blond boy should it prove necessary.

"But... But... Ino-chan..." Naruto stammered almost incoherently as he backed away from the girl by instinct. He'd never admit it, even to himself, but the the girl was downright scary sometimes.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to call me Ino-chan? Yamanaka-san is just fine, thank you." Ino pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to head off her quickly building headache. _'The idiot just had to walk in when _I _was at the front counter. Of all the rotten luck...'_

"I'm sorry. I forgot." Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Truthfully, he hadn't forgotten. You don't really forget something when it's yelled at you at least once every other day. He had chosen not to listen, and that was a very big difference, at least it was in Naruto's mind anyway.

"What do you want already, idiot? I don't have all day..." Ino rapped her immaculate nails on the aged wooden counter irritably while she waited for the boy in front of her to spit out whatever it was that he had to say so he could hurry the hell up and leave.

"I just wanted some flowers..." Naruto deliberately refused to meet the other blond's gaze as he spoke. Ino had an uncanny talent to tell when people around her were lying if she wasn't distracted, and the last thing he wanted was to have to explain himself, especially of all to her; explaining something to Ino invariably found its way to the ears of absolutely everyone else.

"They're not for Billboard Brow are they? Honestly, I don't think you have enough money to even begin to impress her." Ino eyed the boy cautiously. _'Maybe I'm a bit hard on Sakura sometimes... She's got a hell of a lot to deal with already...'_

"No, they're not for her..." Naruto mumbled quietly.

Ino gave the boy a curious glance. _'Did he just sound sad?'_

"They're for Ayame-chan! She's always giving me free bowls of ramen, so I have to do something nice to repay her!" Naruto shouted happily as he deliberately locked eyes with the slightly stunned girl. _'If only everything else was as easy as lying...'_

"Oh! Well in that case, how much money do you have to spend?" Ino forced her voice back down towards its usual sing-song rhythm as she spoke. _'Naruto may be an idiot, but at least he has a good heart...'_ She just couldn't stay angry at him when she knew the reason he had come there in the first place. As long as she didn't spot the flowers being given to a specific pink-haired girl instead, she could at least tell herself that the boy really was just trying to repay someone for a good deed.

"About 500 Ryo..."

"Oh... Umm... Well... Let's see what I can come up with." Naruto cringed at the way her voice changed. It wasn't quite sympathy; it was more like disgust mixed with shock, and maybe a little regret. If he had a choice, he almost would have preferred her usual angry self... almost.

It only took about five minutes for Ino to complete a simple arrangement of flowers consisting of a few different colors of daisies. _'Well... It's certainly not my best work, but it should be within his price range... I just hope Sakura doesn't bash his skull in too bad.'_

"Thanks..." Naruto mumbled as he handed her the coins and was out the door even before the girl could tell him that he was welcome.

* * *

The many etched sides of the memorial stone sparkled brightly in the late afternoon sun. Each name seemed to glimmer and catch the light as Naruto approached the massive slab of black rock. Naruto carefully laid the flowers he had bought earlier at the base of the stone as he slowly knelt down in front of the memorial. _'Any of these people could be my parents... My family.'_ He delicately ran his hand over the thousands of names carved into the perfectly polished surface. He had, of course, gone over all of the names several times, but he had never found one with a last name that even resembled his.

"I... I'm sorry. I broke the picture frame last night. I guess I got kind of angry... It's... It's just so hard sometimes not knowing who you are... were... Hell, I don't even know if your alive or not..." Naruto fought back a sniffle as he continued. "I know... I'm being stupid, but I guess that's what I'm best at. At least that's the only thing anyone ever sees in me anyway. I used to try _so_ hard to make you proud. To make everyone realize that I wasn't just a stupid orphan, but now... now I don't really see the point."

Naruto looked up through the trees hanging overhead and sighed deeply as he watched the rays of golden sunlight dance overhead. "Maybe I never really did. I spent all those years pretending... smiling... and laughing... I thought that if I tried hard enough and long enough I might actually start believing it myself. I guess it kinda worked... No one ever thinks I'm upset, and most people don't try to make me cry anymore. They all know that nothing they could do would make me stop smiling..."

A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he watched the soft light drifting down between the leaves change colors from a warm gold to a brilliant orange and finally settle on a dazzling crimson red. "I just don't know how much longer I can keep smiling. It's so hard sometimes... Putting on an act for everybody else's benefit knowing they just don't care. If only I knew who you were... why you left... anything..." Tears were flowing freely now from the blond's eyes as he watched the leaves sway and dance above him. This was the only place outside of his room that he allowed himself to cry; the only place he allowed his mask to slip and show the real Uzumaki Naruto.

It was several hours before Naruto stood and with a final sniffle said his goodbyes to the stone, and potentially his parents. There was only a slim chance that his parents names were actually carved onto the memorial, but that was all he needed to keep going, at least for now. _'I hope they liked the flowers...'_

As the blond finally cleared the area, the shadow that had been watching him moved into the now moonlit clearing, the faint glowing light causing his usually dull silver hair to shine as he approached the stone. "Well Sensei... I guess I failed you again..." Kakashi mumbled as he traced his finger over the one name on the stone that was carved larger than all of the others. _'I couldn't be there for you, and I wasn't there for your son. I'm so sorry, Minato-sensei...'_

* * *

Naruto sighed inwardly when he saw the gang of boys approaching the ancient rope swing he was sitting on. _'Here we go again... You can do this Naruto... Just smile and don't let it get to you.'_

"Hey! If it isn't Uzumaki! All alone again are you?" The ring leader smirked. It had only taken him a few months of torturing the blond boy at lunch before he had figured all of the right buttons to push. The kid never showed it of course, but it had the proper effect where it mattered, or at least that's what his father always told him.

"Yep! The other kids just don't know what they're missing, that's all!" Naruto flashed the ringleader his famous smile.

"Kami... Look at him, no friends and he still smiles like an idiot. Do you feel anything at all besides happiness?" A second boy commented, and smiled triumphantly when he watched his target's smile drop ever so slightly.

"I can think of something else he feels!" A third boy shouted as he snatched the lone rice ball that comprised Naruto's entire lunch from the blond's hands. "Hunger!" He punctuated his statement by throwing the food into the grass at his feet.

"Heh... Ya, well, a guy's got to eat you know!" Naruto tried to force the happiness into his voice, but he just couldn't quite manage it. It came out strained and almost hysterical. _'Shit. Now they know they're getting to me...'_

"If you're so hungry why aren't you eating your lunch then?" The ringleader supplied as he slowly ground his foot into the rice ball.

"Eh... I was done with that already. You can have it if you want." Naruto's stomach growled as he spoke, and almost immediately he was kicking himself over it mentally.

"You sure? It sure sounds like you're hungry..." The boy who originally thrown his food onto the ground commented.

"Naw, I'm all set. You guys enjoy!." Naruto smiled as he slid off the swing, and turned to head back inside.

"Hey guys! I just thought of something else that he probably feels!" The ringleader spoke up suddenly before driving his fist into Naruto's stomach, causing the blond to gasp in pain and collapse onto the ground as all the wind was driven out of his lungs. "Pain!"

"Haha! It looks like you were right too, boss!"

"Ya, look! He can't even get up."

Naruto tried to force the smile back onto his face, but the pain wracking through his chest prevented it, so he settled on a glare.

"Who the hell do you think you're glaring at Uzumaki? Huh?!" The ring leader was just about to send his foot crashing into the blond's diaphragm when the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. "Damn! Oh well, there's always tomorrow. Right, Uzumaki?" Naruto could only nod in response as he desperately tried to pull himself off the ground. If he didn't agree with them, they'd just make it worse later on, and they almost always managed to find a way to do just that.

Once his three tormentors were out of sight, Naruto allowed himself a brief moment to collect himself before finally hauling himself off the ground and heading inside. _'The last thing I need right now is to end up late too...'_

* * *

**(WARNING: This scene contains GRATUITIOUS violence! Please skip if you know that that kind of thing upsets you. Thanks.)**

"Come on, Sakura! Please? Just this _one_ time. It would make me really happy!" Naruto pleaded at the pink-haired girl in front of him. The sound of desperation slowly creeping into his voice as he forced a strained smile onto his face. He had managed to catch her in the academy courtyard and stall long enough that there weren't many other people around.

"**NO!** " Sakura shouted and slammed her fist into the same exact spot that she had hit earlier in the week. If Naruto hadn't been such a quick healer, the girl surely would have been doing brain damage by now. Honestly, Naruto wasn't even sure why he tried anymore. It was kind of degrading, following her around like some sort of sick puppy all the time.

"Just one little date? I won't tell anyone! I'll even go disguised!" Naruto forced the smile back into his voice with all the grace and subtlety of using an explosive tag to start a campfire. This just set the pink-haired girl off again, and he soon found himself crashing into the hard packed dirt of the courtyard with frightening speed. _'Why the hell do I put up with all of this again? Oh right, she's the only one who __even reacts to anything I do anymore...'_ That had to count for something, right?

"**NO! NO! NO!** " Sakura screeched, punctuating each word with a fist to the side of the head. Naruto winced when he felt something start dripping down behind his ear. _'Damn... One of her nails must have scratched me on that last one...'_

"Do you need me to explain it to you? Can you honestly not understand that I don't have any intention of _ever_ going on a date with you?" Another punch landed in the exact same spot as it always did. Her accuracy was uncanny, and for once Naruto wasn't impressed with the number one kunoichi of their generation. "Are you really that stupid that you need me to beat the words into that thick skull of yours?" Sakura was screaming now. Usually she only vented at him for a few seconds before her more rational side took control and she removed herself from his presence, but for some reason it just didn't kick in like usual. _'He just had to pick _today _of all days to start this crap up again! And right after Sasuke-kun refused my invitation to dinner too! __**I'm gonna kill him! Shannaro!**__'_

"You're stupid. You're lazy. You're a horrible excuse for a ninja. Why in Kami's name would _anyone_ ever go out with you, let alone me?" Each sentence was punctuated by another shattering blow to the _exact_ same spot as the previous ones, and truthfully the ringing in his head was really starting to get to him. Naruto could feel the gentle trickle of blood from the back of his skull working its way down his neck and beginning to pool on the ground under him.

"I" Sakura's fist connected squarely with his skull for probably the eleventh or twelfth time so far today. "**Hate**" Another punch landed, and Naruto felt something snap inside of him. He had had enough. "You!" Sakura raised her fist to strike again, but the blond boy caught it before she could connect. Sakura gasped as she watched the brilliant blue of the boy's eyes bleed away as his pupils became slitted and feral, thick strands of crimson red flowing into them like dye poured into a glass of water. The sudden change in his eyes caught her completely by surprise, and she never registered the crippling blow to her stomach until she was on her back three meters away from him.

"**YOU BITCH!** " Naruto screamed as he followed the girl to the ground, cocking back his fist as he went. His second strike was even harder than the first, and Naruto felt the satisfying snap of bone as he shattered the girl's shoulder. "**Years! Years I've put up with you hitting me! Just to be close to you!**" Another punch slammed into Sakura's stomach, causing her breath to forcibly leave her lungs along with a spray of thick blood. "**All I wanted was to get to know you! That's it!**" Naruto's next strike slammed into the girl's ribcage, shattering bone and causing her to scream silently in pain as bone broke through skin. "**I just wanted to be your friend!**" Another punch slammed into Sakura's stomach covering his fist with blood and sending thick ribbons of the sticky liquid flying off his fist as he brought it down again. "**But no! You were too busy fawning over the almighty Uchiha to care!**" Naruto caught the girl in the jaw with his fist and sent her head crashing into the ground with a sickening smack. "**All you ever did was hit me! I'm not some punching bag for you to take out your emotional stress on!**" Naruto's punch slammed into the girl's nose, spraying the both of them with a shower of blood, and it was then that Naruto finally came to his senses.

"Oh Kami..." Naruto gasped as he looked down at himself. He was completely covered in blood. Her blood. It was absolutely everywhere; his hands were stained red with it, he could feel the sticky liquid soaking into his clothes, and he could even hear the soft plops as thick drops of it fell from his matted hair and into the growing pool surrounding them. The girl he was still sitting on top of looked even worse than Naruto felt. Her hair, no longer it's usual brilliant pink, was tangled and matted down with blood. A large sliver of bone was protruding from her left shoulder, and the wet gasping sounds she was making were a clear sign that she was choking on her own blood. For a brief second, Naruto was frozen with fear. He had just attacked and nearly killed his classmate, a fellow Konoha citizen, and someone Naruto had, in his dreams at least, considered a friend. "What's wrong with me?"

It was then that Sakura's eyes opened, her right one was an almost sickening shade of red from a burst blood vessel, but it was the look of absolute terror that her eyes held that shook Naruto to his very core. He had always tried so hard to avoid fighting, but now... now he really was the monster everyone claimed him to be.

"Hey! What in Kami's name is going on out here?!" The voice of his academy teacher broke Naruto from his thoughts, and his head immediately swiveled to the door of the building.

"Oh no... Naruto! What the fuck did you do?!" Iruka's strangled cry not only notified the rest of the people in the building, but it jolted Naruto to his senses, and he did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He bolted.

* * *

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but only Konoha shinobi and registered merchants are permitted to enter the village without subjecting to a search." The chunin guard spoke with no small amount of false cheerfulness as he nodded towards her backpack.

The woman sighed heavily before shrugging off the forest green pack, but instead of handing it over to the chunin, she began digging through one of the side pockets. A few seconds later, she held out what looked like an unusually large wallet covered in black leather. After waving it at the man for a few seconds, she gently tossed it onto the desk in front of him, causing it to flip open as it landed.

Riveted to the inside of the top part of the wallet was a pristinely polished Konoha hitai-ate, while the bottom of the wallet contained a laminated shinobi registration card. The chunin looked at the woman then back at the wallet for a brief moment before raising an eyebrow and pulling it closer to himself. The picture that took up the entire right side of the card was that of a stunning young woman with long dark red hair the color of perfectly ripened pomegranates. The woman in the picture was sporting the same cheeky grin he was currently getting from the person standing in front of him. She was wearing a simple navy shirt and a black pair of pants, and her hair was not nearly as well kept as it was in the image, but it was still plainly obvious that the woman in the picture and the one before him were the same person. In addition to the backpack that she still held in her hands, a long package wrapped tightly in white cloth was strapped across her back. The chunin quickly made note of her possessions before returning his attention once more to her registration card.

"Name: Uzumaki Kushina. Shinobi registration number: 009685. Rank: Special Jounin. Gender: Female. Birthday: July 10th. Age..."

"Say it out loud, and it will be the last thing that you ever speak." Kushina interjected happily as she continued to smile at the chunin as if she had just made a comment about the weather.

"Umm... Age: Undisclosed. Country of Origin: Whirlpool? Excuse me, Uzumaki-san, but I am not aware of a Whirlpool country."

"You wouldn't be. Don't worry, I assure you that that information is accurate."

"Ri-Right... If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll just verify that this information matches what we have on record, and you'll be free to go." The chunin looked down at the register in front of him before sighing heavily. The book he had currently open started with registration number 010000. "This will just take a few minutes." The chunin turned slightly and pulled out a massive tome from the shelf on his right. _'Figures. She's got to be one of only a dozen people alive with a registration number that low, yet I've never even heard of her before. This better not be some kind of prank, or I'm going to skin someone alive...'_ Plopping the massive book down on top of the one he already had open, he quickly flipped through the pages before finding the appropriate one. _'Uzumaki Kushina, 009685, Special Jounin, July 10th, 37, Whirlpool, MIA, Presumed dead.'_ The chunin read the page again just to make sure that everything matched before handing the wallet back to the woman in front of him.

"Everything seems to be in order, Uzumaki-san. I'm sorry for the unnecessary delay." The chunin smiled at the woman, but did not let go of the wallet. "If I were to say to you 'The forest dances in the shadow of the light of the fire.' what would your response be?"

"I pray the forest dances forever on, but should the fire burn it down, the forest shall grow anew in time." The woman smiled once more at the man before he finally nodded and let go of the wallet.

"Welcome back, Uzumaki-san. I suspect that it's been quite a long time since you've been home. Please understand that as standard procedure you will be asked to appear at the ANBU headquarters within the next 24 hours for an extended debriefing."

"Thank you. It's good to finally be back." Kushina smiled as she began her trek towards the Hokage tower. _'Sigh... Sometimes keeping up appearances can really suck. At least I'll get to see the old man again. Hell, maybe Ero-kun is around too.'_ She smiled happily as she walked down the street, remembering all of the happy times that she had had in this place. _'Maybe this wasn't as bad of an idea as I thought it was. I should have done this a decade ago.'_ Kushina chuckled at her own stupid paranoia before she glanced up and caught sight of the Hokage monument and was forced to ruthlessly force her feelings deep into the pit of her stomach. _'Scratch that. This was a horrible idea. I'll just go and say hi to the old man and then get going again. There's nothing here for me but pain anyway.'_

* * *

The Hokage sighed through his steepled fingers as he looked out over the village he had sworn to protect. Over the years Sarutobi Hiruzen had dealt with many things, but the conversation he expected to have in a few short minutes would likely be the most difficult thing he'd have to do in his career.

"Alright, Sensei, I'm here. What was so damn important that you had to interrupt my research and order me back to the village?" Jiraiya shouted as he opened the door to the Hokage's office and let it slam closed behind him.

Sarutobi turned around in his chair and smiled at the man in front of him before picking up a small deep blue scroll off his desk and tossing it at his former student. "I thought that you'd like to see this..."

"What? Why in Kami's name would I want to be here reading some scroll when I can be out researching?"

"Just look at the scroll Jiraiya..." Sarutobi sighed. _'Sometimes I wish he'd give up on that stupid research of his... Then I could name him my successor and get back to my retirement.'_

Jiraiya pulled open the scroll and briefly scanned it's contents before his eyes widened and he read the whole thing from top to bottom twice. "Sensei, is this real?"

"Yes, it appears to be authentic. As you can see, it's been signed with an ANBU cypher that we used during the last war. It was even properly altered to take into account the date it was written, so yes, I'd say I'm reasonably certain that it's legitimate."

"I... I... I thought she was dead..." Jiraiya whispered as he stared down at the paper.

"Yes, I did as well. It would appear that is not the case, however."

"When is she supposed to get to the village?"

"Oh... About twenty minutes ago according to a rather confused gate guard. Apparently she's still carrying around her honorary hitai-ate and it was the first one that the guard had ever come across."

"Twenty minutes ago?! Why are you just telling me this now?"

"Jiraiya... I contacted you almost two weeks ago about this. You're the one who decided to take their sweet time in getting here."

"Ya, well, I didn't know it was about _this_!" Jiraiya shouted as he waved the scroll around. He was so caught up with what he had just read that he did not hear the door open and close behind him.

"It's so nice to know that you still care, Ero-kun."

"Wha?!" Jiraiya nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun around, only to come face to face with the woman he had thought was dead for almost a decade. "Kushi-chan?! Is that really you?" Before she could even respond, the man had scooped her up into his arms and given her a bone-crushing hug.

"Yes, yes. It's me, Jiraiya. Now could you please put me down?" Kushina gave him one of her stupid grins before turning towards Hiruzen. "It's good to see you, Old Man."

"It's very good to see you as well, Kushina-chan. Forgive me for not sending word to you sooner, but until you had sent that message we all thought you to be dead. You really must regale us with the tale of where you've been for the past twelve years. I'm sure it'd be quite interesting." Hiruzen smiled warmly at the woman in front of him as he watched as her smile reached her eyes briefly for the first time since she'd entered. _'She never could resist telling a story. Looks like she hasn't changed one bit.'_

"Where to begin with that... I guess I should start with why I left... It was just after Minato-kun left with Naruto-chan to go do whatever it was he was planning on doing, and one of the medics walked in... She handed me this..." Kushina dug through her pack for a moment before pulling out a bloody and scratched hitai-ate. "It's Minato-kun's... The medic said that he and Naruto-chan were... were... dead." Kushina sniffled for a minute before regaining her control and continuing. "So I left. I'm not that proud about what I did, but there wasn't anything else left for me here. After that, I headed back to my home village, or what was left of it. I spent the next ten years or so salvaging what I could, trying to rebuild my life. It wasn't much of a living, but it helped me cope. No offense or anything, but I just did not want to have anything to do with Konoha for a long, long, time."

"None taken, Kushina-chan, but why come back now?"

"I had nothing else to do... After some thinking I realized that I still had a few friends here, and I finally felt that I could come back without breaking down..." Kushina was going to say that she couldn't stay, but the look of relief and happiness in the old man's eyes had prevented her. She couldn't do that to him...

"Kushi-chan... The medics told us you died in childbirth..."

"What?! No, I left on my own. Hell, I even had the medic's blessing to go! Why would they tell you I was dead?"

"Why indeed..." Sarutobi mumbled as he took a long puff on his ever present pipe.

"Kushi-chan... There's... Umm... There's something you need to know... About Naruto... He's... Well, he's alive." Jiraiya winced as Kushina rounded on him in an instant.

"What?! My Naru-chan... My son is... He's alive?!" Kushina walked right up into Jiraiya's face. "So help me Kami, Jiraiya, if this is one of your stupid jokes..." Before she could finish the sentence, however, Jiraiya had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"No joke, Kushi-chan. He's alive."

"He's alive... He's really alive..." Jiraiya glared over the top of the sobbing woman in his arms at the Hokage. _'Alright, Sensei... I told her. Now it's your turn to break the news...'_

"Kushina... There's something you need to know about Naruto-kun... Minato's last attack didn't kill the Kyuubi. It sealed it's chakra inside of a newborn child.... Naruto."

"What?" Kushina sniffled as she looked over her shoulder towards the man who was as good as a father to her. "You didn't just say that Naru-chan has a demon inside of him... I misheard you, right? Please tell me I just misheard you."

"No... I'm afraid that you did not. Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and I'm afraid that it has made his life quite difficult. Minato wanted him to be seen as a hero, and I tried as hard as I could to make that happen, but fear and pain are hard to let go of, and once word got out that the boy had the demon inside of him... Well, let's just say that quite a few people wanted to take revenge for the lives that the Kyuubi had taken from them."

"I... I want to see my son." Kushina sobbed. All of this was getting to be too much.

"I will make sure that you do shortly, but I think that it's important that you understand everything that has happened to your son since you've been gone." Hiruzen sighed as he slid a thick folder across his desk towards the still sniffling woman.

"What's this?" Kushina asked as she walked over and picked up the folder gently.

"That is a copy of Naruto's record."

Kushina opened the file and gasped at the image that was paper clipped onto the top of the first page. "He looks just like Minato-kun..."

Hiruzen smiled at the woman. _'The first thing she noticed was that he was his father's son. She didn't even register the marks on his cheeks or the bruises in that picture. Perhaps this will be good for the both of them.'_

"Why is his last name Uzumaki? He was Minato's son... He should be a Namikaze." Kushina looked up from the file to stare at the Hokage.

"We thought it best to hide his identity... Please understand, Kushina. Minato had a lot of enemies..."

"That's not why you did it." Kushina's voice was hard, almost cold, as she spoke. "You did it because you didn't want the village to figure out that the 'demon' was from one of the greatest clans this village has ever seen."

"That... That was part of my reasoning, yes. I will not pretend that I am not ashamed of what I've done, Kushina, but I did it to protect this village. The villagers were panicky, and finding out that the Kyuubi was sealed inside of a Namikaze would have caused rioting in the streets..."

Kushina was about to open her mouth to demand that his name be changed, but was interrupted by a chunin administration ninja bursting through the door.

"Excuse the interruption, Hokage-sama, but we have a serious issue."

"What is it?" Sarutobi sighed inwardly. He did not need more trouble today.

"It's about Uzumaki, sir." The chunin spoke as he eyed the company in the room. Usually, the Hokage dealt with most of the incidents that involved the boy alone.

"Yes? What about me?" Kushina asked as she looked at the chunin curiously. _'I don't think I've ever met him before, and no one knows I'm here, so what in the world is going on?'_

The chunin gave the strange woman with red hair an odd look before continuing. "Sir, Uzumaki Naruto has critically injured one of his classmates and fled the scene. Shall I send an ANBU team to apprehend him?"

"WHAT?!" Kushina screamed before she lunged at the chunin and pinned him to the wall in a shower of paper from Naruto's discarded record. "What did you just say about my son?!"

"Kushi-chan... Put the poor man down." Jiraiya spoke as he put his hand on her shoulder, but Kushina just tightened her grip on the chunin.

"You _will_ tell me what you just said again, and you will do so NOW!" Kushina glared at the chunin who gulped before finally repeating what he had said.

"Uzumaki Naruto attacked, and critically wounded, one Haruno Sakura in what appears to be an unprovoked attack shortly after the release of school this afternoon. The girl is in critical condition and has suffered numerous injuries including a broken nose, two broken ribs, a punctured lung, internal bleeding, and numerous cuts and bruises."

"Thank you, Sohai-san, I will see to the issue personally. Please inform Haruno-san's parents that I will be visiting them both, as well as their daughter, in the hospital shortly." The Hokage spoke as Sohai scrambled out of the room the second Kushina let go of him.

Kushina immediately began digging through her pack, before finally fishing out a porcelain mask that was covered in swirls painted in various shades of blues. From a distance, it almost looked like the rolling surf of a wave breaking on rocks.

"Kushina... What are you doing?" Sarutobi asked cautiously. _'She only gets serious like this when she's angry, or about to do something stupid... I'm not really sure which one would be better right now...'_

"I'm going to go get my son." Kushina spoke softly as she finished putting her hair into a single massive ponytail and pulled the mask down over her face. "Kami knows what you people have been doing to him to make him do... well do _that_ to a poor girl, but I'm going to find out." Kushina finished as she tossed her Konoha hitai-ate onto the Hokage's desk. "I don't think that I'll be needing that anymore."

Before either man could comment, she had already jumped out of the window and was out of sight.

"... That could have gone better."

* * *

**Summery of 'the scene':** For those of you who skipped the scene mentioned in my note at the top of the story, here's what happened (minus most of the violence).

"Come on, Sakura! Please? Just this _one_ time. It would make me really happy!" Naruto smiled at the pink-haired girl in front of him. He had managed to catch her in the academy courtyard and stall long enough that there weren't many other people around.

"**NO!** " Sakura shouted before punching him in the head. Honestly, Naruto wasn't even sure why he tried anymore. It was kind of degrading, following her around like some sort of sick puppy.

"Just one little date? I won't tell anyone! I'll even go disguised!" Naruto forced the smile into his voice with all the grace and subtlety of using an explosive tag to start a campfire. This just set the pink-haired girl off again, and he soon found himself crashing into the hard packed dirt. _'Why the hell do I put up with all of this again? Oh right, she's the only one who even reacts to anything I do anymore...'_ That had to count for something, right?

"**NO! NO! NO!** " Sakura screeched, punctuating each word with another punch.

"Do you need me to explain it to you? Are you really that stupid that you need me to beat the words into that thick skull of yours?" Sakura was screaming now. Usually she only vented at him for a few seconds before her more rational side took control and she removed herself from his presence, but for some reason it just didn't kick in like usual. _'He just had to pick _today _of all days to start this crap up again! And right after Sasuke-kun refused my invitation to dinner too!'_

"You're stupid. You're lazy. You're a horrible excuse for a ninja. Why in Kami's name would _anyone_ ever go out with you, let alone me?" Each sentence was punctuated by another punch, and truthfully the ringing sound in his head was really starting to get to him.

"I **Hate **You!" Sakura raised her fist to strike again, but the blond boy caught her fist. Sakura gasped as she watched the brilliant blue of the boy's eyes bleed away as his pupils became slitted and feral, thick strands of crimson red flowing into them like dye poured into a glass of water. The sudden change in his eyes caught her completely by surprise, and she never registered the crippling blow to her stomach until she was on her back.

"**I HATE YOU!** " Naruto screamed as he followed the girl to the ground, cocking back his fist as he went. "**Years! Years I've been trying to get you to notice me! All I wanted was to get to know you! That's it!**" Naruto shouted as he continued to punch the girl. "**I just wanted to be your friend! But no! You were too busy fawning over the almighty Uchiha to care! All you ever did was hit me! I'm not some punching back for you to take out your emotional stress on!**" Naruto's punch slammed into the girl's stomach, causing Sakura to groan in pain, and it was then that Naruto finally realized what he was doing.

"Oh Kami..." Naruto looked down at the girl he was sitting on top of. For a brief second, Naruto was frozen with fear. He had just attacked and nearly killed his classmate, a fellow Konoha citizen, and someone Naruto had, in his dreams at least, considered a friend. "What's wrong with me?"

It was then that Sakura's eyes opened, the absolute terror that her eyes held shook Naruto to his very core. He had always tried so hard to avoid fighting, but now... now he really was the monster everyone claimed him to be.

"Hey! What in Kami's name is going on out here?!" The voice of his academy teacher broke Naruto from his thoughts, and his head immediately swiveled to the door of the building.

"Oh no... Naruto! What the hell did you do?!" Iruka's strangled cry not only notified the rest of the people in the building, but it jolted Naruto to his senses, and he did the only thing he could think of. He bolted.

* * *

**Revision Note:**

Not much to add to my original note, but I did add some more fluff and fix some of the flow issues with the original chapter. As always, feel free to leave a review, and constructive criticism is always welcome.

**A/N:**

**Disclaimer:**I do not in any way, shape, or form condone violence. Naruto snaps in this chapter, and rather viciously at that. This is the reason why the story is rated M. I, personally, have nothing but the utmost respect for human life, but sadly Naruto has been pushed too far and by far too many people. Please understand that the actions taken by the character in no way reflect my own beliefs. Thanks.

*Sets some more plot bunny traps* Honestly, I've got way too many of these damn things running around in my head these days. Anyways, _please_ let me know if you want this story to continue by reviewing. I have plenty to write about with both Butterfly and Warriors of Fate, and I'm not going to devote time and energy to further chapters of this story if there isn't enough interest. With that said, I _do_ have the entire basic story fleshed out already, and could easily continue it if people find it interesting enough.

If I do end up continuing the story in a reasonable time frame, the main pairing (as you've probably guessed by the section it's under) will be Naruto and Temari. I realized the other day that there are surprisingly few good NaruMari fics, and well, I can't resist a good challenge. However, there is a reason for that, and that's that it usually takes quite a bit of work to actually get the two characters to meet, and sadly this story will be no different. The first NaruMari scene in the story isn't for at least 3-4 chapters, if not more, but it will be very much worth it when it happens.

How do you guys like this version of Naruto? I played around with an angsty version of the boy in Butterfly, but for Eye of the Storm I decided to go with something a little different. Instead of Butterfly's obviously traumatized version, I opted for a more bottled up rage kind of thing. I know he comes off a little strong, but I really wanted you guys to _feel_ what his life was like, and why exactly Naruto runs away from Konoha. Also, for those of you turned off by the 'beating' scene, I promise that scene is the _only_ one like that that shows up in the entire story (at least that I have planed, and if another does show up, it will have a disclaimer just like this one has). I just needed a really strong motivator to get Naruto out of the village, and I already used up the "Kyuubi told me to" idea with Butterfly. If it did offend you, I apologize, but I _did_ warn you at the beginning of the chapter, as well as just before the scene, so it's kind of your own fault XD

Lastly, I have _nothing_ against Sakura. In fact, she's my favorite pairing for Naruto, but I've gotten tired of the usual representations of the girl, so I'm trying something a bit different here. I'm not intentionally bashing her, just shaking up the character a bit.

Anyway, I'm off to go slam my head into the massive writer's block I'm having with WoF now...

Techniques :  
Bunshin no Jutsu: Clone Technique

Other Terms :  
Ita – Literally "Ouch" or "Ow"  
Jinchuuriki – Literally "power of human sacrifice" It's a reference to the people who have a demon sealed inside of them.  
Kyuubi no Kitsune – Nine-tailed Fox  
Sohai – While it's used as a name in the story, it literally means "unimportant" or "small fry"


	2. Family History

**Chapter 2 – Family History**

The forest flew past Kushina in blurs of green and brown as she rocketed out of the village. The tracks she was following through the trees were over an hour old, but the trail of broken branches and the thick scent of blood made it child's play for her to follow at high speed. Within an hour she had closed the distance between herself and Naruto to a matter of feet and was still gaining on him.

"Naruto! Stop!" Kushina yelled out as she caught her first real sight of her son as he launched himself off another branch and into the thick canopy of the forest.

"Please stop!" She called out again as Naruto landed on all fours only a few dozen feet away from her. Kushina let out an involuntarily gasp when he looked back over his shoulder. His face was covered in dried blood, and his eyes were glowing softly like the smoldering embers of a dying fire. Seeing him crouched down with teeth bared like some kind of animal sent a wave of regret crashing through her body like a cold bucket of water. She would not abandon her son, not again.

"Naruto... Please... Just stop... I just want to talk to you!" Kushina shouted over the rushing wind as Naruto crossed a gap in the trees and landed on another branch. As his nails dug into the ancient wood, he spun around in mid-air, taking a four foot section of branch with him. In a single fluid motion, he sent it hurtling towards Kushina while using the momentum of his spin to launch himself forward into the forest ahead of him.

"Shit! Suiton: Teppoudama!" Kushina only just managed to pull her mask up enough to use her technique before the massive piece of wood was in front of her. She inhaled deeply and launched a high-pressure bullet of water from her mouth at the log just as it closed in to lethal range. The force of the blast obliterated the branch, showering her in splinters as she passed through the space it had occupied mere seconds beforehand.

"So help me Kami, Naruto, you will stop or I will make you!" Kushina shouted, a small tick forming on her forehead as he shot off another branch. She didn't want to do it, but he wasn't giving her a chance to stop him without having to resort to force.

"Suiton: Teppoudama!" Kushina launched a second bullet of water towards the branch in front of the boy. Just as Naruto's foot touched the wood it exploded out from under him, sending him plummeting him towards the ground. The instant the technique left her lips Kushina altered her course to intercept the falling boy. She managed to connect with him only feet from the ground and spin around enough so that she was on the bottom before the pair slammed into the forest floor.

"Ugh... That could have been smoother..." Kushina groaned as she pulled herself out of the heap she had landed in and looked around for Naruto. He had rolled several feet away and was huddled in in a small ball at the base of a massive oak tree. For a brief instant, Kushina caught a glimpse of his deep cerulean orbs and the endless swirls of emotions hidden behind them. In that moment, he was just a terrified little boy. In that one solitary instant, he was just Naruto. Just as quickly as it had come, the cool blue of Naruto's eyes bled out, replaced by the haunting crimson that shook Kushina to her core, and within seconds he was recklessly charging towards her.

_'Shit... There's no way out of this without hurting him... Just my fucking luck.'_ Kushina sighed as she forced calmness into her mind. As she let go of her worry, she felt the familiar cooling sensation of her kekkei genkai taking effect like stepping into a cold shower. Almost instantly a thin layer of water had condensed around her out of thin air, and by the time Naruto closed in to attack, she had gathered dozens of gallons around herself in thick rope.

"Please... Don't do this, Naruto..." Kushina begged one last time, praying that her son would see reason, but Naruto's only response was a wild swing at her chest.

She reacted on sheer instinct, and in the blink of an eye stepped into her son's wild swing, blocking it with her left hand. Another half step forward sent the torrent of water she had collected spiraling around her right arm as her open hand slammed into the boy's chest, sending him flying back into the underbrush in a shower of mist.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun..." Kushina whispered as the blond boy launched out of the foliage with a flying punch aimed at her head. Just before his fist connected, Kushina spun backwards, bringing her open left hand into Naruto's chest. A thick band of water flowed back across her body just as her strike connected, sending the boy rocketing straight up like a geyser.

As Naruto plummeted back to earth, he spun head over heels, turning his free fall into an axe kick, but before he could connect with it Kushina spun to the side and, with a flick of her wrist, sent a huge surge of water into Naruto's chest, sending him hurtling into a massive tree a dozen yards away.

"Please forgive me for this..." Kushina sobbed as Naruto's fist came flying towards her again. She reached out across her body and caught his hand around the wrist, mildly surprised with the sheer force behind the intended strike. She closed her eyes and prayed silently that this would be the last time she'd ever have to hurt her son as she took a half step backwards, pulling him forward into a stumble.

"I'm sorry." Kushina whispered as she completed the motion, sliding her other hand under his arm and up towards his left shoulder, a torrent of water rushing just behind. As her hand grasped his shoulder and began to force him towards the ground, water snaked around his arms, down his waist, and finally around his legs before rocketing up towards the sky, taking his feet out from under him while simultaneously dislocating his shoulder. Kushina's other hand spun around as she completed the graceful spiral of her attack and connected with Naruto's chest just as he reached waist level. The final blow, in addition to the water that came crashing back down on top of him, sent him hurtling into the hard ground with a sickening smack.

The remnants of Kushina's last attack fell around them in a shower of light rain as she stared down at her now unconscious son. He was soaked to the bone and, even unconscious, he was beginning to shiver. Kushina looked around quickly at the drenched forest before making a twirling motion with her body, all of the water that she had gathered earlier seeped out of the ground as it began spiraling around her before being launched away into the forest.

"That's a little better... I should probably still build a fire though..." Kushina mumbled to herself as she checked on her son again. His clothes weren't drenched like before, but they were still damp, and nights in Fire Country still got cold.

It only took a few minutes for Kushina to get a roaring fire going, but when she went to set up the rest of her camp, she realized that she had left her pack back in Konoha. "Well fuck... Guess I have to go back anyway and explain things..." She sighed before looking over her shoulder at her sleeping son.

"But I can't leave you like this... Kami knows what would happen if you woke up while I was gone... Some mother I am. Five minutes into the job, and I've knocked you out cold and now I'm plotting how to keep you here against your will. I guess I have no choice... I'll just have to make it up to you later." Kushina sighed as she made a few quick hand seals.

"Akumu Nashi Jukusui no Jutsu." She mumbled as she touched her son's forehead. The technique only worked on willing targets, but seeing as he was unconscious, she felt that it would work just as well.

"Eight hours ought to be enough time..."

* * *

Night had fallen as she tracked back across the forest and into the village, so she wasn't too worried about anyone being in the Hokage's office as she slowly turned the handle and snuck inside. Kushina silently crept across the floor as she made her way towards her pack in the corner of the room with only the moonlight to guide her steps, but before she could get even halfway across the room she was stopped by a voice from the Hokage's chair.

"I was wondering if you were going to come back for your belongings, Kushina-chan." Sarutobi spoke softly as he turned around in his chair to face the woman now standing in the middle of the room.

"..." Kushina lowered her eyes as she casually glanced at her pack before returning her gaze to a spot just over the Hokage's left shoulder. "I... I'm sorry for acting like that earlier, Old Man. Is your assistant alright?"

"He's fine. A little shaken up, but I believe that he'll make a full recovery." Kushina couldn't help but smile at the old ninja in front of her. He always was a caring person, sometimes to a fault.

"I... I would like some answers... about Naruto-kun." Kushina mumbled as she returned her gaze to its spot above the Hokage's shoulder. Ninja or not, she always felt like a child who had got caught with her hand in the cookie jar whenever he spoke to her like that.

"Ah... So you managed to find him then?" Sarutobi had to repress a smile when she nodded slowly. As happy as he was to see mother and son united, right now he had to play his role as Hokage. His happiness would just have to wait. "And whereabouts is he currently?"

"He's safe...ish." Kushina mumbled, causing the Hokage to raise his eyebrow in question. "I put him under Akumu Nashi Jukusui and set a warding seal around the area. He'll be fine for a few hours, but the quicker I get back the better. I never was very good with genjutsu."

"I see... What is it you want to know?" _'She didn't tell me his location... Bargaining chip? No, that's too cold-hearted for her... She's protecting him, but from what? Does she think I'll take him away from her? Possible, but unlikely.'_ Hiruzen chanced a quick glance over the woman's features, years of experience picking out the minute details that helped pinpoint her emotions. _'Afraid... Worried...'_ He watched as her eyes kept flicking towards the stacks of papers on his desk._ 'She thinks the council will demand I send ANBU after him!'_

"Why... Why is this happening to my Naru-chan? What did he ever do to deserve this?"

"You know the answer to that already. Put yourself in Minato's position for a moment... You have no choice, no other options... You're faced with the total annihilation of your home and everyone you love. The only thing you can do to give your village, and the ones you love, a chance to survive is to sacrifice not only yourself, but the happiness of a single child. Could Minato have asked that another give up their child to save the village? Could you?"

"N-No... I suppose not, but why did it have to be my Naru-chan..."

"Kushina... It's true that Naruto has suffered great hardships because of his continuing sacrifice, but he's alive. Where others have crumbled under the hatred and abuse, your son has blossomed. He's still standing where others have long since fallen. Do not look at what has happened to him; look at what he has become despite of it."

"But he's so... When I went after him... He was just so... angry."

"He's gone through so much, Kushina. Far more than anyone his age should ever be put through. I'm afraid that I owe you an apology for that. I should have done more, prevented more, but it was so hard just trying to prevent the council from ordering his execution at the time that I simply could not focus on keeping him happy as well. I have failed both Minato's and your own wishes in that regard, and for that I'm sorry." The Hokage bowed his head slightly as he spoke, ensuring that she understood just how serious he was being at the moment.

"I know you tried your best..." Kushina looked at the floor in front of her feet for a few moments before continuing. "What's going to happen now? I mean... He attacked someone, didn't he?"

"I've already spoken with the girl's parents about the issue. They, of course, are quite furious and are demanding that I send out ANBU to execute Naruto for what he did. The villagers are calling it an 'unprovoked attack by the demon brat' but I do not think that that is accurate. You see, Sakura has always been a driving force in Naruto's life, whether she wishes to admit that to herself or not. She was a goal for him, a light in the darkness if you will, and Naruto ran after her with everything he had. I'm not sure he even realized it, but it was that drive to get her to acknowledge him that is most likely responsible for his survival up until a few years ago. Sakura, however, had her eyes set on another boy, and saw Naruto's attempts to befriend, and later 'date' the young girl as annoying. Sadly, her choice on how to express this annoyance tended to lean towards the physical, and it often resulted in Naruto being struck as a result. If I had to guess as to what really happened between the two, I would be more inclined to believe that Sakura reacted violently to something Naruto said, and Naruto finally gave up on her. While Naruto may have never intended to hurt her, his anger must have allowed the Kyuubi some measure of a foothold inside of Naruto's mind, and from there the demon was able to push him into a blind rage."

"You think... You think that the Kyuubi is controlling my son?" Kushina stammered as she stared at the hooded face of the Hokage.

"Tell me, Kushina, what was Naruto-kun like when you found him?"

Kushina didn't answer for a few moments as images of her son, his eyes burning furiously, flashed through her mind, but one memory lingered more than the others; the memory of him huddled in a ball and staring at her fearfully with those deep cerulean orbs of his. "He was scared, and confused, and alone. I'm sorry, but I can't make him come back here. I will give him the choice to if he wants, but I won't force him to subject himself to what he's been put through again... I just can't."

"I see." Sarutobi smiled under his hat as he looked at the hardened stare of the woman in front of him. _'Well that was easy. She made the choice without me even having to pose the question.'_ "Well, there isn't anything I can do to stop you. You're not technically a Konoha shinobi, nor is Naruto-kun, and as such I have absolutely no power over either of you." He laughed at the look on her face before smiling and reaching into his desk. "However, should either of you wish to return, I think you'll find these useful." He slid a hitai-ate across his desk towards her. "For when... if... the time comes." Sarutobi added as he placed her honorary hitai-ate next to the headband already on the desk.

"I... Thank you... for letting me get to know him a little bit better." Kushina nodded at the old man before picking up the hitai-ate and turning towards the window.

"Before you go... I want you to promise me something, Kushina-chan. Not as the Hokage, but as someone who's watched both you and your son grow up."

"Of course..."

"Please... Take care of him. I have this feeling that he's going to become a great person some day."

* * *

Kushina glared at the rundown apartment building in front of her with a hatred that could melt steel. _'My son lived _HERE?!_'_ She could feel her teeth gnashing as she climbed the chipped steps to the third floor, and when she reached the door of Naruto's apartment she almost leveled the entire complex in a fit of rage. Scrawled untidily across the front of his door were the words 'No one loves you" and even with all of her training she still slammed her fist into the worn wood causing it to vibrate violently in its frame. "Calm... Calm... In. Out. In. Out." Kushina forced her emotions into check as she dedicated her entire mind into finding the window that the Hokage had told her about.

Within seconds, Kushina had the flat edge of a kunai shimmed under the lock of Naruto's bedroom window and delicately lifted the latch before sliding the window up, a soft clicking sound her only warning before a pair kunai launched themselves through the opening and into the space she had occupied not a second earlier. "Phew. That was close." Kushina sighed heavily. No child should have to booby-trap his windows in order to feel safe.

After thoroughly searching for any additional traps, Kushina gingerly lifted herself through the window and into Naruto's apartment.

"I was wondering if you were going to end up here." Kushina jumped a good two feet in the air as she spun around, kunai in hand, only to find the smiling face of Jiraiya staring at her from the doorway of Naruto's bedroom.

"Ero-kun! Kami, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that to me?! I almost impaled you!" Kushina shot the old pervert an angry pout and crossed her arms under her chest.

"You know, if you were a few years older..." Jiraiya laughed as Kushina's pout turned into a murderous glare.

"You'll stop thinking about that this instant, or I'll do it for you." Kushina brandished the kunai that was still in her hand.

"Alright, alright. I'm done teasing you. I suppose you'll want to get back to the gaki as quick as possible anyway..." Jiraiya sighed heavily as he looked around the room in disgust. "I'm sorry, by the way."

"For what, Ero-kun?" Kushina tilted her head at the man she had come to see as a father-figure in her life, her arms still crossed in front of her.

"This." Jiraiya waved his hand around the room. "All of it. I should have been there for the boy. It's what you had wanted, but I wasn't. I thought he was safe here, and Sensei needed me to run my spy network... and then there was Orochimaru... and Iwa... and... I tried to look after him while I was in Konoha, but with everything else..."

"Enough, Jiraiya-kun. It's alright. You did your best." Kushina crossed the room and placed her hand on his shoulder. "And besides, how can I be mad at you when I did the same thing... All we can do now is make it up to him."

"Come on, I think the boy has some sake in his kitchen. It looks like you could use a drink. Kami knows I do." Jiraiya smiled weakly at her before ushering her out of the room.

"Ero-kun... Where in the world did my son get sake?" Kushina asked as Jiraiya pulled out a dusty bottle and a pair of cracked sake cups from the back of one of Naruto's kitchen cabinets.

"Don't know... I didn't even know he had it till earlier today, but that's not really the question you should be asking..." Jiraiya held the glass bottle up to the moonlight so that Kushina could see exactly just how much was missing.

"Why is it half empty?!" Kushina gasped in horror.

"We all have our vices, Kushina, and with the life he's lived..." Jiraiya let his voice trail off as he poured sake into the cups, handing one of them to Kushina before ushering her to Naruto's battered couch.

Kushina ran her hands through her hair as she sighed. "What have I done, Jiraiya? I thought he was dead... I just accepted that. I didn't even demand to see his body. I'm a horrible parent."

"You did what you had to do at the time." Jiraiya refilled both cups before continuing. "At any rate, the gaki turned out alright. He's always smiling. Kami, the only other person I've seen as hyper as him as a child was Minato." Jiraiya sighed inwardly in relief when Kushina looked up and smiled at him. "Sure, he's gone through a lot, but he's still Minato-kun's son. Blond, hyper, and reckless. He's your son too, though. The boy goes out of his way to help people... even the people who hate him. He's caring to a fault, and he has your passion for life, Kushina. The boy will be alright."

"Thank you, Ero-kun." Kushina smiled softly at the man before rising to her feet. "Well, I better collect some of his things. Kami knows he'll probably not want to come back here for awhile."

"You'll want to check underneath his bed. Three boards in from the left. About four feet from the wall." Jiraiya spoke softly as he walked to the front door. "Oh, and you could have just tried the door, you know. I had left it unlocked." Kushina just stared as Jiraiya's hair whipped around the corner and out of sight to the sound of his boisterous laugh.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he sat up groggily. His back was sore, and all of his muscles were stiff, especially those in his stomach and shoulders, but he felt as if he had woken from the best night of sleep he'd had in his life. As he looked around, bits and pieces of the previous day began to filter through his mind, and the more he remembered the worse he felt. The haunting notes of someone playing the flute only served to amplify his own feelings of grief as he slowly pieced the events of the past twenty-four hours back together.

The jumbled mess of memories swimming around in his head had made his mind foggy, and it took a second for him to realize that there actually was someone sitting under the tree a few feet away from him with a flute to their lips. The woman had her back to him, her pomegranate-colored hair cascading down her back as she swayed slowly from side to side in time with the notes that were washing over him, resonating with his own thoughts, and sending the feeling of regret crashing through his heart.

Then, all of a sudden, the music stopped and the woman turned around to face him. "Oh good! You're awake! Did you sleep well, Naruto-kun?"

"How... How do you know who I am?" Naruto yawned groggily as spoke, the spell the music had cast over him broken when the woman had stopped playing.

"Straight to the point, aren't we? There's no reason to rush though... Why don't you have some breakfast first?" Kushina smiled as her son's eyes lit up at the prospect of food. _'He really is just like Minato-kun...'_

"Tell me, Naruto-kun, why are you all the way out here?" Kushina smiled. She knew the answer already, of course, but the real question was whether or not Naruto did.

"Where else would you go if no one wanted you?" Naruto mumbled, setting down the stick that the small fish had been cooked on.

"Naruto... That isn't true. That can't be true..." Kushina put her arm around his shoulder. _'Your parents wanted you...'_

"Sure... Who would want Konoha's number one most annoying ninja Uzumaki Naruto. I'm the worst in my class, I have no friends, and apparently I have anger issues now..." Naruto spoke quietly as he rubbed his hands together subconciously.

"Class isn't everything, Naruto-kun. Did you know that the Third Hokage almost didn't graduate the academy, yet now people call him 'The Professor'?" Naruto shook his head, his eyes staring into the flames of the small campfire in front of him.

"Life can be cruel, Naruto-kun. People can be cruel. They fear what they don't understand. They lash out at the darkness because it scares them. They hate because it's easier than loving. People do a lot of stupid things, Naurto-kun, and taking everything that those people do to heart is not wise nor healthy."

Naruto just nodded, his eyes never leaving the fire as he slowly chewed on another fish and mulled over the strange woman's words.

"Naruto-kun?" Kushina had to suppress a laugh when his head snapped up, a piece of fish still hanging from his mouth. "Would you like to know about your parents?"

This time Kushina really did laugh as she watched him almost choke down the food in his mouth so that he could answer. "You know about my parents?!"

"I'll take that as a yes then. You just keep eating while I talk, okay?" Kushina smiled as he nodded and immediately returned to his food.

"Your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina. She was a very pretty girl with long rose colored hair, and a smile just like yours." Kushina had to suppress a giggle as she referred to herself in the third person. She never could resist a good prank.

"She was a ninja from Whirlpool Country. A land that existed up till about 25 years ago, until the ninja from Water Country decided to invade the small island nation and slaughter the entire population down to the last child. The Uzu ninja fought back fiercely, but even with the advantage of terrain, they were unable to hold back the Kiri nin's crusade against kekkei-genkai, and within the span of a few days the entire nation had been reduced to bodies and rubble.

"Kushina happened to be on assignment in Konoha when all of this had happened, however, and with no home to return to, decided to settle down there. It was in Konoha where she met your father..." Kushina smiled at the look of rapt attention she was getting from the blond before she returned to her story.

"Your father's name was Namikaze Minato. I don't suppose that name rings any bells does it? No? I'm not that surprised honestly. Minato-kun always liked to keep his family and work lives as separate as possible. I bet you'd probably know him as Konoha's Kiiroi Senko though..." Kushina was unable to suppress her laugh when the boy sputtered before managing to swallow and jump to his feet.

"Kirroi Senko?! My dad was the Yellow Flash?!" Naruto's eyes widened as realization hit him. "The Yellow Flash was the Fourth Hokage!"

"Yes, that's right Naruto-kun." Kushina giggled as she waited for the boy to settle down so that she could continue. "Minato-kun was a very gifted and very loving man. He loved you with all his heart and soul, even though he only got to be with you for a few short hours before he was forced into battle with the Kyuubi... Do you know what really happened that night, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah! The Fourth road into battle on Gamabunta of the Toad Clan and destroyed the nine-tailed fox!" Naruto beamed proudly at being able to answer her question correctly.

"I suppose that's what they would have taught you in school, but that's not what really happened." Naruto's bright smile turned into a sad frown at being told he was wrong. "Oh, he road into battle with Gamabunta alright, but he wasn't able to kill the fox. He was barely able to even scratch the demon, so he had to resort to something else... He sealed the beast away, sacrificing himself in order to seal half of the demon's chakra inside of a newborn baby while simultaneously dragging the other half with him into the stomach of the Shinigami... Tell me, Naruto, do you know when your birthday is?"

"October 10th."

"And what day was the Kyuubi defeated?"

"October 10th." It only took a second for realization to dawn on him. "He... He used me, didn't he?"

"That's right. Please understand, Naruto-kun, he had to use a child who's chakra coils had not developed yet, and as Hokage he could not ask another to sacrifice something he, himself, was not willing to. He wanted you to be seen as a hero by the village. He wanted you to be seen as the Kyuubi's jailer, the cage to the nine-tailed fox. He never intended for you to be seen as the demon itself. If he were alive today, he would be incredibly disappointed with the people of Konoha."

"I... I don't want to be like this..." Naruto whimpered as he looked down at his hands, unconsciously rubbing them as if washing off blood that no longer existed. "I don't want to hurt people... I didn't mean to do it! I... Kami... I killed her, didn't I?"

"No, Naruto, you did not kill that girl, but she's hurt pretty badly..."

"I didn't mean to do it!" Naruto shouted before backing away from the nice woman in front of him. He didn't want to lose control and attack someone again, especially not someone who was being so kind to him.

"Naruto-kun, listen to me. You are **not** the demon!" Kushina moved forward, but the boy only backed away from her touch.

"I don't want to lose control again. Please, just leave me alone!" Naruto whimpered as he curled into a little ball. The sight of him in a fetal position immediately reminded Kushina of that moment in their fight yesterday where he had just looked like a scared child, and she resolved herself to helping her son get over his fear no matter what.

She lunged forward and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "You're afraid you'll lose control?" The boy nodded. "Then become stronger! If you lack the control to keep the demon at bay, train harder until you don't! You're the son of two of the strongest clans this world has ever seen, and you're afraid of a little demon? **You** are the one in control, Naruto, not the Kyuubi. **You** are his cage, not the other way around. If you do not wish to lose control then man up and become strong enough to stand up to the demon!" Kushina shook the boy lightly as she continued. "Everyone has their inner demons, Naruto, but before you can conquer them you first must conquer yourself. Running away, curling up in a ball and crying, that's an excuse. If you want to deal with this as an Uzumaki, as a Namikaze, then you'll stand up and you'll face your fear head on until you crush it!"

Naruto just stared at the woman who had since let go and returned to the fire, leaving him at the base of the tree. _'Maybe she's right. If I'm so afraid of losing control then the only thing to do is train until I'm able to control it.'_ With a new-found resolve, Naruto got to his feet and sat down next to the woman by the fire.

"I... I'm sorry. You've been so nice to me, and all I've done is shout and be a coward. I didn't even ask you your name." Naruto hung his head in shame. He may only be twelve, but he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, and the jailer to the nine-tailed fox. He had a purpose now, and there wasn't enough time to be acting like a child anymore.

"That's okay, Naruto-kun. I'm just happy to see that you took all of this so easily. I was honestly expecting something more... dramatic, I guess." Kushina sent him a small smile as she wrapped an arm around her son protectively.

"You never said your name..." Naruto looked up at the strange woman who was comforting him. He didn't mind, in fact it was rather nice, but something just felt odd about the lady.

"My name?" Kushina smirked as the boy nodded slowly. "Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he stared at the woman before falling backwards in shock and pointing a figure at her accusingly. "You're... You're... You're..."

"Your mother? Why yes I am, Naru-chan." Kushina burst out laughing as she watched him gape at her like a fish out of water.

"After all these years, and you won't even give me a hug? I'm hurt." Kushina feigned being injured as Naruto finally regained his senses.

"Where... Where have you been?!" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the woman. After twelve years she finally decides to show herself _now_? Kushina's laughter died immediately when she realized that her prank wasn't as nearly as funny as she thought it would be, and looked down at her son sadly.

"I... I was told that you had died the night of the attack... along with Minato-kun. I thought there was nothing left for me in Konoha. I... I was 26, Naruto-kun. 26 when I thought I had lost everything I had loved in one night. I was a child. I ran away." Tears pooled in Kushina's eyes as she stared at her son sadly. "I. Ran. Away. I was a coward and ran away, away from my problems and away from the pain."

"It took me twelve years to get over losing you two. Twelve long, painful, sorrow-filled years. When I finally got over it, I came back. I was expecting to find a few friends, and maybe a place to start over, but I was not expecting to find out that my son was still alive. I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun. If I had known you were alive... known what you had gone through for all those years I was selfishly wallowing in my own misery... I'm so so sorry." Kushina sobbed as she took a few shaky steps before opening her arms in front of the blond. "Please? You can hate me all you want, but please... let me hold you in my arms just once..."

"I... I don't hate you... Mom." Naruto managed to choke out before moving into her arms. "I'm sorry. I broke the picture frame..."

"What picture frame?" Kushina asked as she gently rubbed the now crying boy's back.

"I... I had gotten a frame... for a picture of my parents... I kept it for so long, but last week... I threw it... I gave up... I'm sorry."

"Shhh... It's okay, Naru-chan. I'm here now. You don't have to be sorry."

"I'm never going to give up again. I promise."

Kushina hugged the boy one more time before letting the boy go and sitting back down next to the fire.

"Come on, finish your breakfast. We've got a little ways to travel before we can really sit down for a talk."

"We're going someplace?" Naruto looked up at his mother curiously as he spoke between mouthfuls of fish.

"I... I don't think it's such a great idea for you to be in Konoha. At least, not for a little while anyway."

"Oh... Alright." Naruto spoke quietly as he finished eating. "I don't have any of my things though..."

"I... umm... took the liberty of getting some stuff from your apartment for you. I hope you don't mind." Kushina held up a small backpack.

"How... How did you know where my apartment was?" Naruto rummaged through the bag, his eyes widening when he came across a photo of himself, the Hokage, and the ANBU member wearing a dog mask that always watched over him when he was little. "... and how did you know to take this?" Naruto held up the worn photograph.

"I kind of had a nice long talk with the Hokage... He told me some things about you... Like how to get into your apartment... You really ought to get the lock on your window fixed, you know? I was also told about that photo, and how much it meant to you... I'm sorry I invaded your space like that, but I really didn't want to have to go back to Konoha with you... Especially not after..."

"After what I did..." Naruto whispered as he stared into the fire.

"Naruto-kun... You know I didn't mean it like that..." Kushina tried to smile only for Naruto to frown again. "Alright, enough of that. Finish up, we're leaving."

* * *

"Are you feeling a little better now, Naruto-kun?" Kushina smirked as she watched her son inhale the bowl of ramen sitting in front of him.

"mhmm" Naruto mumbled from his spot at the small table of their hotel room.

"Naruto-kun... Do you still wish to be a ninja? I know you've always told everyone that you wanted to be Hokage, but is that really what _you_ wanted, or was it just because it was the only way for people to acknowledge you?"

Naruto looked up in shock for a moment before shaking his head. "I always wanted to be a ninja... Everyone in my life that's ever done anything for me has been a ninja... The Hokage, Inu-san, Iruka-sensei, everyone. I want to be like them. I want to _change_ things. I'm sick of always being ignored. I'm tired of being useless. I want to make a difference."

"Alright then... Naruto-kun, I need you to make a very adult decision, can you do that for me?" Naruto nodded. "Good. Naruto-kun, you're the heir to both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, but you can only take one name. I need you to decide which one..." Kushina slid the Konoha hitai-ate across the table so that it was in front of him before taking off her own whirlpool hitai-ate and placing it next to it.

"Before you make your choice though, I want you to know about your heritages... both of them." Kushina spoke softly. "The Namikaze were great warriors. They were _the_ elite. Brilliant strategists in the field of battle, powerful beyond belief, and yet they were caring, compassionate, loving. There was a saying during the second and third Great Shinobi Wars... 'There are but a few ways to assure victory, having a Namikaze on your side is one of them.' Yet even the Namikaze were not invincible... They were wiped out during the third war. Your father was the only one to survive, and because of that tragedy, I know almost nothing of their customs, their way of life. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more about Minato-kun's side of the family, but he never talked about them much. They... They didn't exactly see eye to eye, him and his parents..."

Naruto almost said something when he saw the sad smile playing across his mother's face, but before he could even begin to think of something that would comfort her, she continued speaking.

"The Uzumaki were the ruling clan of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools, as well as the entire Whirlpool Country. Whirlpool wasn't very big, you see, in fact the entire country consisted of a series of large islands. They never had a Daimiyo, or any head figure like the Kage, instead they were run by a council consisting of an elected representative from each ninja clan in Uzugakure, as well as a civilian representative from each of the five islands. This council was lead by the Uzumaki representative, and each representative was also advised by various elders of their clan. It was a good system in times of peace. Everyone agreed on a course of action, and then it was carried out, but in times of war the system was slow. During such times, the council placed their powers on the shoulders of a single person, the guardian of Bakunami and Shizukanami. These two swords formed the legendary daisho Nishio Ichi, once the weapons of choice of the founder of Uzugakure. However, there has not been a person able to unlock the powers of Nishio Ichi in hundreds of years, so the swords were mounted in shirasaya and given a guardian to preserve Uzumaki Shiota's fighting style and way of life. As you know, Uzugakure was wiped off the map, scattering the few survivors to the winds. The reason why Uzugakure fell was because the Guardian of Nishio Ichi was not there. The chain of command dissolved, and the council simply was not fast enough to stop what was happening..."

Kushina sighed heavily, her gaze wandering over her son's shoulder before focusing back onto the blond. "Well there you have it. I know it's not a really happy history, but I hope it's enough for you to make your choice."

"Ever since I was little I wanted to be like the Fourth Hokage. He was my idol. He was everything that I wanted to be." Naruto looked up at his mother for a moment before continuing. "I've always wanted to be acknowledged. I always wanted people to see me, to treat me like everyone else, but I realized something yesterday..." Naruto picked up the Konoha hitai-ate and idly traced the leaf symbol carved into the metal plate. "I've wanted one of these for so long, but no matter what I do, the people of Konoha will never completely accept me. They may acknowledge me, they may even praise me someday, but I'll always be the Kyuubi to them."

Naruto set the Konoha hitai-ate down and slid it away. "I cannot do that to my father's name. He deserves to be remembered as the legend he is."

"Naruto-kun... Please don't base your decision on what other people will think of you... I'll _make_ them acknowledge you if I have to."

"No, that's just part of it. You said you didn't know anything about the Namikaze... How can I be a part of a clan that I know nothing about? Anything I rebuilt would be something new; it wouldn't be Dad's clan..."

Kushina stared open-mouthed at her son for a moment before regaining her composure.

"Mom?" Naruto's voice broke Kushina from her thoughts. "You said that there were survivors from when Uzugakure got destoryed?" Kushina nodded, unable to find words to explain this new side of her son. "Do you think that if the Uzumaki clan were to come back that they would too?"

"It's... It's certainly possible..."

"Then I've decided. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I promise to bring back The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools and the Whirlpool Country!" Kushina blinked at her son for a few moments before laughing.

"That's wonderful Naruto-kun!" Kushina smiled as she ran around the table they were sitting at and hugged her son.

"Now that that's decided, let's go see if you have what it takes to wear this." Kushina smirked at her son while holding up her headband in front of him.

* * *

"Well... You're Kawarami is passable, and I don't think I've ever seen a better Henge than that, but your Bunshin was absolutely abysmal." Kushina looked at her son curiously for a moment. '_How could he do such a great henge, but fail so badly at a Bunshin...'_

"Naruto-kun, come here." Kushina pulled out a paper seal and tossed it on the ground. "Stand on that and try it again."

"Umm... Alright, but no matter how much chakra I use, it always does the same thing..." Naruto sighed and stepped on the seal. "Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted and a single sickly clone popped into existence next to him.

"Naruto-kun... How much chakra did you use for that?" Kushina stared at him as she spoke. Surely, the diagnostic seal she had just used was wrong.

"Umm... as little as I could. Should I use more?"

"As little as you could? Naruto-kun, that was almost six times the maximum amount of chakra that technique can handle!"

"Oh... Sorry."

"Sorry? Naruto-kun, having that much chakra at your age is _unheard_ _of!_" Kushina smiled at her son as his personality did a complete one-eighty. She'd have to remember to compliment him more.

"Really?!"

"Yes, really." Kushina gave him a smirk before ruffling his hair. "Here try this instead... Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" She spoke as she made a simple cross shaped seal and a single shadow clone appeared next to her.

"This is a shadow clone. They're like normal clones, but they're solid and they have a mind of their own. Also, when a shadow clone is destroyed, you get all of its experiences, which makes them great for scouting. Now you're going to have to pump a lot of chakra into the technique to make even one, so don't be too frustrated if it doesn't work either."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as the entire field they were in filled with smoke. After a few seconds, the dust cleared revealing no less than 20 shadow clones surrounding them.

"... I ... Wha... Did you just?" Kushina was amazed, to say the least, as she looked around her. "Well, I guess that means you pass with flying colors." She smiled happily as she walked up to the real Naruto and tied her hitai-ate around his forehead.

"Come on. I think it's about time we got going."

"Going? Where?"

"Home."

* * *

**Revision Note:**

As you've probably noticed in my previous chapter (or read in my note below) Kushina's hair was originally a red-orange color. This was chosen before Kushina was seen in the anime, so I left it as is, but since I decided to revise the story I figured I might as well fix the hair color as well. Kushina's hair color is a dark pomegranate red. Also, I do not condone underage drinking, but I needed some more depth of character for Naruto, and this seemed like an interesting way to do it. He's not a lush or anything, and it won't play a huge role in the story, but it helps make him seem a little more real (having a coping mechanism vs. being perpetually happy). As always reviews are welcome, constructive criticism doubly so.

**A/N:**

There's been a little confusion as to the color of Kushina's hair as I've described it as both orange as well as red. The exact color is probably best described as salmon (FF866E), which can be seen here: colourlovers .com/color/FF866E/

A few people I ran the first revision of this chapter by made the comment that Naruto did not seem like himself in it. I just want to clarify that the Naruto you're seeing in this chapter is the real him, and that he's come to the decision to not hide behind a mask anymore, or at least not in front of his mother.

Please forgive the huge amount of Japanese names in this chapter. It wasn't my intention to use so many, but I'm introducing names that play roles further along in the story.

Also, I'm sorry there's so much talking in this chapter, but back story is a necessary evil and sadly I couldn't get as far in this chapter as I had hoped (If I didn't stop here the chapter would have been almost twice as big).

I'm still slamming my head on my writer's block in concern to Warriors of Fate, but it IS coming along, albeit slowly. Also, I've decided to base my update order on the general popularity of my stories rather than going in a set order, so you may see another chapter of Butterfly or Eye of the Storm before Chapter 7 of Warriors of Fate. Hell, you might actually see a new story all together (you can blame my friend bugging me to work on a Naru/Ino idea I had a few weeks ago). I'm not necessarily basing my idea of popularity on volume of reviews, but rather on a combination of number of reviews, content of those reviews, and what stories have been updated recently, so if you like one of my stories and want to see it updated sooner rather than later, it's in your best interest to review :P

Techniques:  
Suiton: Teppoudama – Water Release: Bullet  
Kekkei Genkai – Blood-line Limit  
Akumu Nashi Jukusui no Jutsu – Lit: Sound Sleep Without Nightmares Technique.  
Kawarami no Jutsu – Replacement Technique

Henge no Jutsu – Transformation Technique  
Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone Technique

Other Terms:  
Inu – Dog  
Kiiroi Senko – Lit: Yellow Flash  
Shinigami – Death God  
Uzu – Whirlpool  
Mizu – Water  
Uzugakure – Lit: Village Hidden in the Whirlpools  
Bakunami – Lit: Violent Wave  
Shizukanami – Lit: Tranquil Wave  
Daisho – Lit: 'big and small' It's an abbreviation of the kanji for daito and shoto. A daisho is the name for the pair of swords carried by samurai usually consisting of a katana and a wakazashi, or in earlier periods a tachi (blade-down katana) and tanto.  
Nishio Ichi – Two Tides as One. This is both the name of the daisho as well as the name of the fighting style  
Shirasaya – Lit: White Scabbard. A shirasaya is a wooden mounting for a Japanese sword that is used for storage when the sword is not expected to see usage for a long time.  
Shiota – Lit: Great Tide


	3. Not A Chapter

Story revised: 2/23/2010

Just posting a new chapter so those of you following the story notice :P 


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